Violence levels at prison now ‘starting to reduce’

VIOLENCE against staff and inmates at crisis-hit Birmingham Prison is only now starting to reduce, the governor has admitted.

It follows the publication of a damning report into conditions at the prison, which found it was exceptionally violent and fundamentally unsafe, with prisoners and staff living and working in fear.

A report by Peter Clarke, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, found vulnerable prisoners locked themselves in their cells, but still had urine and faeces thrown through their door panels.

Giving evidence to a House of Commons inquiry, Birmingham Prison Governor Paul Newton said there had been “far too much violence in Birmingham.”

He said: “There are some green shoots about how that’s starting to reduce, with a real focus.

“But for staff and the men there was an absolute feeling there that if I get assaulted, there is limited traction with anything happening through the courts.”

He was speaking to the Commons Justice Committee, which is holding an inquiry into HMP Birmingham, also known locally as Winson Green Prison.

The category B prison was hit by rioting in 2016, when it was managed by private firm G4S.

As a result, the population of the prison was significantly reduced from 1,470 in October 2016 to 928 in January 2017, as staff tried to restore discipline.

But the population was gradually increased back to 1,426 by July 2017, and by October 2017 it stood at 1,447.

Michael Spurr, chief executive of the prison service, told the inquiry that restoring the prison population meant that staff began to lose control.

He said: “Prisoners came back emboldened following the riot. That creates additional challenge for the staff at Birmingham.”

Meanwhile, there was a “lack of confidence” among prison officers, he said, while experienced staff were leaving.

The chairman of the Justice Committee, MP Bob Neill, said he was concerned about the decision to bring prisoners back into the jail.

He said: “I am particularly alarmed to learn that the prison was returned to capacity only a few months after rioting had put whole blocks out of action, that there was ongoing instability and both the Ministry of Justice and G4S were concerned about staffing levels.”

MPs heard that one of the major problems facing the prison was the prevalence of drugs such as ‘Spice’, known as psychoactive substances.

The evidence echoed the findings of the Chief Inspector’s report, which said: “We witnessed many prisoners under the influence of drugs, and some openly using and trafficking drugs around the site.

“Shockingly, some staff were ambivalent and accepting of such behaviour, and failed to respond to this overt drug misuse.”

On one occasion, when inspectors reported smelling drugs an officer was said to have “shrugged and laughed”, while another said they had “only just come on duty”, according to the report.

It quoted one prisoner describing a wing at the jail as “a war zone” with inmates “walking around like zombies, high on Spice”.